The goal of this project is to have a scientific meeting that focuses on recent advances related to the identification and characterization of stem cell niches. Stem cell niches are the specialized microenvironments in each tissue where stem cells reside. These niches are thought to provide environmental signals that are critical for the maintenance of stem cells and which regulate their role in tissue homeostasis. Thus it is necessary to understand the function of stem cell niches in order to understand how stem cells are maintained throughout life, and how they maintain tissues. This will be an American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) Summer Meeting, and will attempt to integrate recent advances related to stem cell niches from diverse systems including Drosophila, C. elegans, and mammalian hematopoietic, neural, and epithelial tissues. The major goal of this meeting is to bring together leading scientists who have made notable contributions to our understanding of stem cell niches, to integrate recent advances, and to promote cross-fertilization. While there are many meetings related to stem cell biology, there have not yet been any meetings focused specifically on stem cell niches. Nonetheless, there has been rapid recent progress in the identification and characterization of stem cell niches in diverse systems. Given the rapid progress in this area there is a need for a focused meeting that assembles the most prominent leaders in this area. By including the researchers who have most advanced our understanding of the environmental regulation of stem cell function in diverse systems the meeting will provide opportunities for cross fertilization and discussion that are absent or diluted at larger meetings.